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Pregnant & Posting: 12 & 13 Weeks

I'm sorry my blog is a bit behind here! Life was busy last week and somehow I just never managed to sit down for more than 2 minutes to be able to talk about what was going on with my pregnancy.

On the positive side, during the last week to week & a half, I've been feeling better. This is likely related to coming to the end of the first trimester. My afternoon/evening nausea is starting to abate, thank goodness. I was getting very tired of being almost unable to eat after lunchtime. I've also noticed that, especially within the last week, my anxiety has decreased as well. This is a distinct relief.

While I know it seems superficial, my biggest complaint right now is about clothing. My pants still fit (barely) around my slightly thickening waist. I don't look pregnant, rather just as if I've put on a few pounds around the middle. (My weight is actually still down overall though, so I must have been losing in one area and gaining in my abdomen.) If I button my regular jeans it is uncomfortable to sit down. When I can, I wear the maternity clothes that I saved from my last pregnancy. I'm not big enough to wear the pants with the full belly panel, but they make some very comfy bottoms with low slung, elastic waist bands. Unfortunately, I only have a few pair of those pants and (to my great frustration) my favorite local place to buy pants doesn't have my size nor does the website for that particular retailer.

On the up side, the "hairband trick" still works with my regular pants in a pinch. In case you've not heard of this, it is where you wrap a hair elastic around the button of your pants, thread it through the button hole, and wrap it back around the button again. It'll secure your pants so that they don't go anywhere while gaining you an extra inch or two in the waist. It doesn't look cool and necessitates a long shirt to cover the waistband, but it works to keep pants from falling off.

Comments

Can you tell me more about how maternity clothes work? I'm 7 weeks, but I'm planning ahead. The maternity section is a total mystery to me. If I wear a large in tops now, will I still be a large further along? How many different kinds of maternity pants are there? Do you they give sizes based on how far along you are? That would be so hopeful. Thanks!!

Maternity clothes can be really difficult because you don't know how your body is going to change. If your breast size increases, for example, you may find that you need to go up a size. If it doesn't change so much, then maybe not. Most maternity lines say that you should buy your pre-pregnancy size. I've not always found this to be true, however, so your best bet is to try things on whenever possible. Sometimes I need to go up a size, sometimes I need to go down one. It's just hard to predict.

In terms of pants, there are typically several different styles. Some have a "real waist." These pants typically have a waistband that looks like regular pants, except that there are elastic sections in the sides, or they have a knit elastic waistband. They typically fit under your belly. I've found these to be the best early on when you're starting to show but are not "big" yet. There are also pants with a partial or full belly panel. This basically means they've chopped off the waist and replaced it with either a cotton panel (with an elastic band around the top) or with a spandex panel. These are designed to go up over your belly later in pregnancy. Typically, the full panel won't fit until you are much further along. During my first pregnancy, I don't think I had anything with a full panel until I was like 7-8 months along. Some of the pants with the spandex panel they have now are designed to be multi-use so that you can fold them down when you're not big enough to need it to go all the way up over your belly (these were not available during my first pregnancy). I have one pair like this and they're okay, but I find that the spandex shifts around a lot and I don't feel as secure in it. If you're thinking of these, try on a pair and move around a bit to see how they feel for you. In terms of tops, typically they're cut roomier and longer than your usual shirt. So they'll accommodate a growing belly.

Unless you see some crazy sale or get a great deal on some used maternity wear, I'd highly suggest waiting until you need it before buying. It is just impossible to guess exactly how your body is going to change. The return policies on maternity clothes can be different than those on regular clothing, often having shorter return periods. Plus, much of it is expensive and it rarely goes on sale to the extent that regular clothes do. You don't want to buy a bunch and then need to go back and buy again because you need another size. During my first pregnancy, I did buy some capri pants very early on because I found them on super clearance (like $5 a pair, which was too good a deal to pass up). Otherwise, I waited to see what was needed and bought only what was necessary and what fit.

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